“North Carolina’s reliable for me,” Trump said at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, the first of four stops on Election Day Eve. “Never lost. And I don’t think we’re going to start now.”

The Trump campaign emphasized early voting across the country. In North Carolina, in-person early voting started in all 100 counties on Oct. 17 and ended on Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.

The State Board of Elections reported that more than 4.2 million residents cast early voting ballots—a record number.

The previous high for early voting happened in 2020, when more than 3.6 million ballots were cast.

Including absentee voting, 4,465,548 voters—or 57 percent of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters—cast ballots in the general election as of Nov. 3, according to the state board.

Official turnout could be even higher because of a lag between when ballots are turned in and when data is uploaded.

Lorena Castillo-Ritz, chair of the Mecklenburg County GOP in a region anchored by left-leaning Charlotte, said that the Trump campaign, conservative PACs, and her organization embarked on a “strong ground game” that targeted “low-propensity voters” who are registered to vote but did not cast their ballot in 2020.

“When we get people to vote who didn’t vote in the last election, that adds up and makes a significant impact in the overall numbers statewide,” Castillo-Ritz told The Epoch Times.

“We’re hopeful that getting the low-propensity voters to the polls in our area, and other urban areas across North Carolina, elevates President Trump to a win here.”

First in Line

Tony Caraccio is a 21-year-old HVAC professional in Asheboro. He was first in line at the Election Day eve rally in Raleigh, arriving at midnight for Trump’s scheduled 10 a.m. address. He believes that early voting numbers will benefit Trump when the ballots are counted.

“There was a widespread grassroots movement for early voting that we haven’t seen in the last few cycles. The campaign learned from its mistakes and focused on getting absentee ballots and early voting so that the election is too big to rig,” he said.

“I was too young to vote in 2020 and thought I’d never have a chance to vote for Trump. I wish the circumstances didn’t lead to him not winning then and running now, but at least I had the chance to vote for him this time.”

Turnout in the 25 western North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Helene was 58.9 percent—around 2 percent higher than the statewide total, the state board said.

Over the weekend, at a rally in Kinston, Trump praised the people who voted early in areas where homes and businesses were swept away by mudslides and flooding from Helene.

“Many of these people don’t even have a house anymore. The devastation is like something never seen. It’s largely areas where people like Trump that were affected, and even with all of that devastation, they turned out in record numbers early,” Trump said.

“The people of your state, the people of North Carolina, are amazing. I thought we would get 50 percent of the number that voted in 2020. [Instead] they broke the record,” he added.

Holding 16 Electoral College votes, North Carolina is a battleground state that both candidates covet.

Barack Obama became the first Democrat presidential candidate to win North Carolina in 30 years when he defeated John McCain in 2008. Trump prevailed in 2016 and then edged Biden by 1.3 percent of the vote in 2020.

Roy Cooper, who has served as governor since 2017, is a Democrat. He spoke in Raleigh before Harris took the stage as did attorney general Josh Stein, who is running for governor against Republican nominee Mark Robinson.

On Election Day eve, Trump held a 1.3 percent lead over Harris in the Real Clear Politics average of polls.

The western portion of the state was severely impacted by flooding and mudslides from Hurricane Helene, displacing many residents. The mountains of western North Carolina are considered a Republican stronghold.

The 25 counties that compose the disaster area have 1.3 million registered voters. In 2020, Trump won 604,119 votes to Joe Biden’s 356,902 votes in those counties, according to political analyst Ray Bonifay, who highlighted the importance of the region in an Oct. 18 commentary on RealClearPolitics.

Amid the surge of Republican early voters, the Harris campaign canceled $2 million in ad reservations in North Carolina media markets on Oct. 29, according to AdImpact. The previous day, the campaign reserved $2.7 million for an ad blitz.

The Carolina Journal reported that Harris was not abandoning the state but that she was shifting her focus to the Raleigh-Durham market.

In Charlotte on Nov. 2, Harris courted conservatives who are reluctant to support the former president.

“We know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other,” Harris said.

Harris said that she will “represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me” and that “the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.”

Trump, she said, is focused on revenge and personal interests while she will put country over party.

“Donald Trump will walk in with an enemies list” if he is elected, Harris added.

“When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list, full of priorities I will get done for you the American people,” she said.

Voting Habits

Nathaniel Scripa moved to North Carolina from Syracuse, New York to live in a state that was more conservative, he told The Epoch Times.

“Now a lot of people from New York and other blue states are moving here and bringing with them their voting habits, which doesn’t make sense because the liberal policies that made their states so terrible are what led many of them here,” he said.

“That makes early voting, and getting people who usually don’t vote to get to the polls, important in this election,” he added.

Harris held rallies centered around the “When We Vote, We Win” motto. Trump believes that, in North Carolina and nationwide, the increase in Republican early voting combined with a traditional strong showing at the polls on Election Day will result in his victory.

“It’s ours to lose,” Trump said in Raleigh. “If we get everybody out and vote, there’s not a thing they can do.”

You can tell it was a smashing success because the propaganda press hasn’t stopped talking about it.  Any honest journalist would tell you that it was an electrifying political rally that united Americans of all backgrounds and from all walks of life.  Because today’s “reporters” do not tell the truth and instead push an ideological agenda at all times, they are following Hillary Clinton’s marching orders and smearing the MSG event as some kind of twenty-first century Nazi hatefest.

Their lies prove only how panicked they are at the sight of President Trump’s broad appeal.  Democrats talk endlessly about skin color and ethnicity and celebrate physical “diversity” as if it were a noble virtue.  They are obsessed with how a person looks to the exclusion of everything in a person’s mind and soul that makes each of us unique.  That said, Democrats could never have packed Madison Square Garden with such a diverse group of Americans united in common cause as Trump did — at least not without busing in paid actors to meet their rigid racial quotas.

When the Trump campaign made tickets available to the public, they were gone almost immediately.  Who grabbed them?  Oh, just about every kind of American you could imagine.  Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and non-believers.  Black, white, brown, and every shade in between.  Blue-collar workers and billionaires, tradesmen and suits, young and old people alike.  Every kind of dirty job, white-collar profession, and socio-economic rung was well represented.  Lifelong Republicans, libertarians, independents, and former Democrats all sang patriotic tunes together.  Truly, President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally demonstrated in striking fashion just how attractive his policies are to Americans of every demographic.

It was an astonishing scene, and if any campaign event were to demonstrate the magnitude of the political realignment (if not ideological revolution) that Donald Trump has unleashed in America, MSG’s joy-fest was it.  It should take its place in the history books as prima facie evidence that the “Great Awakening” is here.  The Democrats’ and corporate media’s outrageously malicious attempts to paint the political rally as “dark,” “threatening,” and even “fascist” should similarly be regarded as demonstrable proof of their moral turpitude, deceitfulness, and irrelevancy.

I don’t usually write about physical diversity.  Appearances, like book covers, tell us next to nothing about the stories inside.  I have been fortunate enough to interact with all kinds of human beings — good and bad — and get a decent sense of both the great things our species can accomplish and the horrifying deeds we are all too willing to commit.  We humans have no trouble uniting to save strangers in mortal danger, but we also have no trouble killing each other for our beliefs.  What a world it would be if we worked as hard to avoid murdering each other as we do to rescue a child trapped in a well.  Alas, that’s not who we are, and no race of people on the planet has a monopoly on either vice or virtue.

I suppose that’s why the Madison Square Garden rally stood out.  Because of their ideological compulsion to separate the electorate into distinct groups of “oppressors” and “victims,” Democrats of every generation demonize some group for special targeting.  A century ago, Democrat President Woodrow Wilson wanted to use the “science” of eugenics to eliminate black Americans.  Today, Democrat leaders speak of “white supremacy” as a disease that must be similarly eliminated.  Who knows which group of people displaying some combination of physical attributes the Democrat Party will choose to vilify next.

In contrast, President Trump’s MSG event showed just how much his message is directed not to any one class of people but rather to all people regardless of how they might look, speak, and act.  It doesn’t matter what color your skin is; anyone can be an ardent defender of free speech against government and corporate censorship.  It doesn’t matter how you pray (or even if you pray); anyone can be a resolute protector of religious freedom against government persecution.  It doesn’t matter whether your ancestors came over on the Mayflower, or whether your parents worked hard to gain their American citizenship; a promise to defend the U.S. Constitution from its enemies holds the same weight.  None of us was around when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and made clear to the whole world that the purpose of government is to safeguard every person’s God-given rights and liberties.  No matter how we look, how old we are, or what part of America we call home, all of us are capable of fighting for and preserving freedom.  Regardless of the stories we hold inside, we can choose to stand together and against government tyranny.

Give me a country filled with people as physically diverse yet wholly unified in their loyalty to the Bill of Rights as those who showed up at President Trump’s MSG rally, and I’ll show you an America that will lead the world for centuries to come.  I’ll show you a country capable of building new and exciting things.  I’ll show you a country reenergized and focused and ready to defend its way of life.  I’ll show you a country whose demise is greatly exaggerated and whose greatness is just beginning.  I’ll show you a country that is “awakening” from an odd slumber and slowly but surely coming back to life.

That’s not supposed to happen.  Democrats were all suckled on some version of Marx’s historical materialism in which human society marches forward inexorably toward communism.  They call themselves, “progressives,” because they erroneously believe history proceeds in only one direction.  Those of us who resist their planned dystopia are “reactionaries,” “deniers,” “deplorables,” and “conservatives” stuck in the past and unable to bend.  That’s why Democrats are obsessed with berating us that we must join “the right side of history.”  So sure are they of the future that they arrogantly believe anyone who refuses to join their sad, hate-filled, envy-ridden descent into collectivist totalitarianism is destined to be either forgotten or reviled in the pages of history.

They are wrong.  Marxism is intellectual tripe.  Collectivism denies humans the opportunity to flourish as individuals.  Totalitarianism is as ugly today as it was last century.  And a growing movement of freedom-minded Americans is rising once again to preserve liberty in its hour of need.

It used to infuriate me that Republican backstabbers such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan would disparage President Trump’s governing philosophy as appealing only to an insular, white, working-class fringe.  The man won far more votes than McCain or Romney, won over ten million additional votes in his 2020 campaign, won the highest percentage of minority votes of any Republican in over sixty years, and is expanding that historic support in his 2024 campaign today.  How could anybody credibly argue that Donald Trump has done anything but strengthen the Republican Party?

Then I finally realized that no matter how “conservative” RINOs claim to be, they have either consciously or unconsciously bought into the Democrats’ Marxist philosophy.  They have deluded themselves into believing that the world is destined to be dark, uninspiring, and unfree.  President Trump disagrees, and a hundred million Americans have joined him to fight for a future that cherishes human liberty.  That’s how we really make history.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

As of Sunday afternoon, data provided by the University of Florida’s Election Lab shows 41.2 million voted by mail or early in person in the vast majority of states, with only a few states not reporting data.

Compared with four years ago, Republicans are returning more mail-in ballots and voting early in-person. Party affiliation does not mean that voters cast ballot for their party’s nominated candidate, meaning there is no way to definitively know what presidential candidate is ahead.

In states that report votes by party, registered Democrats have a 3.8 percent lead over registered Republicans, with 40 percent to 36.2 percent, respectively. Independent or minor party voters make up about 23.8 percent of the remainder, according to data provided by the lab.

Republicans have a 9-point advantage over Democrats during in-person early voting, while Democrats have a more than 11-point lead over Republicans for mail-in ballot returns, the data show.

As of Oct. 25, only 24.5 percent of mail-in ballots returned were from Republicans, while about 52.3 percent of Democrats did so, according to the Election Lab. Some 22.6 percent of returned mail ballots were from independents or those registered with minor parties.

Republicans in 2020 also had a smaller lead voting in-person early, the data show. At the time, some 40.2 percent of Republicans voted in-person early, while 37.5 percent were Democrats.

States that have reported no data so far include New York, Alabama, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

Swing-State Breakdown

In Nevada, Republicans have a 5.1 percent early voting lead—or 31,000 votes—over Democrats, the Election Lab’s data show. That state was called for President Joe Biden over Trump in 2020.

Meanwhile, Republicans have a 6.9-percent advantage over Democrats in Arizona, a state that only reports mail-in ballots. Biden was also certified the victor in Arizona by a slim, 10,000-vote margin four years ago.

Voting by mail is extremely popular in Arizona, with nearly 90 percent of voters having cast their ballots early, most by mail, in 2020. Election officials in Arizona can begin processing and tabulating mail ballots upon receipt, but results cannot be released until one hour after polls close.

Late last week, Republicans pulled ahead in North Carolina, a state won by former President Donald Trump in 2020. By Sunday, the lead increased marginally to about 1.1 percent, or about 30,000 votes, over Democrats, data show.

Earlier this month, Trump visited areas in North Carolina that were ravaged by Hurricane Helene, saying that some Americans in the region “felt helpless and abandoned and left behind by their government.”

“In North Carolina’s hour of desperation, the American people answered the call much more so than your federal government,” he said.

And in mid-October, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, and told a crowd that she wants to “fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America.”

Pennsylvania has only reported mail-in ballots as of Oct. 27, showing that Democrats have taken a more than 330,000-vote lead over Republicans. However, Democrats’ lead has narrowed in recent days, down about 19,000 votes since Oct. 24, data show.

Pennsylvania did not have a clear winner in 2020 for four days after Election Day, as officials sifted through a huge backlog of mail ballots. The state is among only a handful that do not permit election workers to process or tabulate mail ballots until 7 a.m. ET on Election Day, which means it will likely again take days before the outcome is known.

Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin do not report party affiliation via the Election Lab website.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Kornacki said Democrats have lost support in Hispanic-majority cities located in Berks County, Lehigh County and Luzerne County in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Democratic support fell from 45 to 35 points between the 2012 and 2020 elections in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has a 54% Hispanic population, according to election results rom the past three presidential races.

“Take a look, here’s Allentown. Lehigh County, this has the highest concentration of Hispanics in Pennsylvania,” Kornacki said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It’s a 54% Hispanic, and look at this, the trend has been toward Republicans. The state was moving toward the Democrats between ’16 and ’20, but in Allentown, Clinton won it by 42 [points] in ’16, fell down to 35 in 2020. This is an area, we’ve talked so much about the polls showing Trump making more inroads with Latino voters, this is the kind of place where the Trump folks think this trend can continue.”

MSNBC's Steve Kornacki Spells Out Good News For Republicans Among Swing State Hispanic Voters pic.twitter.com/g4Hswz7nQa

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 31, 2024

Kornacki then pointed to past election results among Hispanics in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, which has a 63% Hispanic population. The city of Reading has a 67% Hispanic population and significantly decreased its support for Democrats from 64 points in 2012 to 45% in 2020.

“Again, look at this trend. It was blue in 2012, Hazleton was for Obama. And then Trump comes along, he carries it by 5, he improves it to 11. Again, this is a kind of place where Trump folks think they can do better,” Kornacki said. “And again, this is very much a majority Hispanic city. Or Reading … you just take a look right here. Overwhelmingly Democratic, but from 2012, when Barack Obama won re-election, to 2020 when Biden carried Pennsylvania. That’s a drop of basically 20 points in the Democratic margin here in a heavily Hispanic city.”

“So the trend in the most Hispanic cities in Pennsylvania, as the state was getting more Democratic in 2020, they were becoming more Republican,” Kornacki continued.

President Joe Biden won the state of Pennsylvania 50% to 48.8% against Trump in the 2020 election. Trump won Luzerne County 56% to 42% and Berks County 53% to 45%, while Biden won Lehigh County 53% to 45%, according to results recorded by Politico.

Polls found Biden getting trounced among Hispanic voters regarding key issues, a demographic which has historically been a key voting bloc for Democrats. An Axios/Ipsos survey from April found Trump leading Biden by 22 points on the economy, 11 points on crime and seven points on immigration among Latino voters, while Biden held a nine point on abortion.

Trump won Pennsylvania 48.8% to 47.6% against former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to Politico.

CNN’s Harry Enten found Harris is faring better than Biden among Hispanic voters by six points.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].

More and more Americans are moving from Democratic-leaning blue states to Republican-voting red ones, and one of the effects of this change is that they are relocating to places with lower life expectancy.

Idaho, Montana and Florida, all red states, had the greatest population growth among U.S. states between 2020 and 2022. Meanwhile, New York and Illinois, both blue states, and Louisiana, a red state, suffered the biggest population losses. California, another blue state, has experienced significant recent population loss as well.

One key reason for this migration is the high cost of living in places like New York and California, compared with the lower cost of living in red states such as Georgia or Indiana.

The nationwide realignment that has been taking place is truly remarkable.

According to economist Stephen Moore, approximately 5 million people have migrated out of Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey during that past 10 years…

A lot has been reported about celebrities like Joe Rogan moving out of California in recent years. However, economist Stephen Moore says there’s a much broader trend here.

During a recent interview with Fox Business, Moore claimed that over the last 10 years, about five million people have left the so-called “blue states” Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey.

“This is one of the biggest mass migrations in American history,” he said.

He is right. This really is one of the largest mass migrations in our entire history.

The red state that has gained the most from all of this domestic migration is Florida…

Among large states (those with a population above the 50-state average), the net-domestic-migration winner over the 13-quarter period after Covid-19’s arrival was Florida. The Sunshine State added a net tally of 819,000 Americans over that span. To put that into perspective, in just three years and change, Florida added more people from net domestic migration than the combined populations of Miami and Orlando. The large-state runner-up: Texas. It added 80 percent as many people as Florida (656,000).

The state that lost the most was California, which shed 1.2 million people through net domestic outmigration—the rough equivalent of San Francisco and Oakland’s combined populations. The runner-up loser was New York, which lost about three-quarters as many people as California.

Not too long ago, Florida was considered to be a “swing state” that was divided almost equally between Democrats and Republicans.

But now it is solidly red.

Many conservatives are attracted to the Sunshine State because there is no state income tax. Of course the spectacular weather doesn’t hurt either.

According to a real estate company known as “Conservative Move”, large numbers of conservatives have also been relocating to South Carolina…

Conservative Move, a real-estate company with about 500 agents across the country, helps conservatives find homes near like-minded people — and South Carolina is becoming a big draw.

The group’s founder, Paul Chabot, told Business Insider that while Texas and Florida consistently rank among the top locations his conservative clients choose to move to, he’s seen a big spike in the number of people who want to relocate to South Carolina in the past two years. He said his company currently has about 5,000 clients who are considering moving to the state soon.

Many of his clients are coming from places like California, Washington state, and Oregon, he said.

I really like South Carolina. In fact, in my latest book I ranked it number 3 out of all 50 states.

I would just recommend staying away from the coast and the major population centers.

In addition to a mass migration from blue state to red states, we are also seeing lots of people relocate to small towns and rural communities…

The remote work boom that prompted Americans to flee urban areas for mountain hamlets and seaside towns during the pandemic continued at least through last year, according to University of Virginia demographer Hamilton Lombard. An estimated 291,400 people last year migrated from other areas into America’s small towns and rural areas, which Lombard defines as metropolitan areas with 250,000 people or fewer.

Mid-size cities are also growing, but meanwhile large cities are bleeding residents at a rapid pace…

Areas with 250,000 to 1 million people saw a net in-migration of 266,448 people last year, while areas with 1 million to 4 million people recorded only a modest gain. Areas with more than 4 million people were the big losers, shedding almost 600,000 people last year, according to Lombard’s research using US Census Bureau data.

These days there is such a hunger for a high quality of life, and most of the core urban areas in our blue states do not have that to offer at this point.

Sean Hannity is one of those that has migrated to a red state from a large city in a blue state, and he sounds absolutely thrilled to have made the move…

Sean Hannity, the prominent Fox News personality, has made the decision to sell his expansive Long Island property for $13.75 million — mere months after revealing his relocation plans from New York to Florida.

In a notable shift, Hannity disclosed earlier this year that he would be broadcasting his renowned radio show, “The Sean Hannity Show,” as well as his television program, “Hannity,” from studios in West Palm Beach.

“We are now beginning our first broadcast from my new home, and that is in the free state of Florida,” Hannity announced on his iHeartRadio show. “I am out. I am done. I’m finished.”

Good for him.

But there is no place that is perfect, and the truth is that our country as a whole is very rapidly heading in the wrong direction.

So the reality of the matter is that ultimately there will be no hiding from our growing national problems.

If we do not find a way to turn things around, our red states will eventually become just like our blue states.

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking and time is quickly slipping away.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

On April 20, House Republican leadership facilitated passage of a foreign-aid package that sends roughly $60 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion to Israel and Gaza, $8 billion to Taiwan, and exactly zero dollars to the southern border. The bill has since passed the Democrat-led Senate and was signed by President Joe Biden.

The vote will be remembered for the choice Republican leadership made to brazenly reject its own voters in favor of the “uniparty” in Washington, D.C.

In a move that can only be described as “McConnell-esque,” House Republican leadership teamed up with Democrats to overrule the position of their own conference, their voters, and the will of the American people.

Democrats on the House Rules Committee made an unprecedented move by crossing the party line and overruling Republican opposition in committee, signaling an end to the typically Democrat versus Republican battle and the beginning of the conservative versus “uniparty” war.

The disconnect between “the Swamp” and small-town America could not be more profound. How can a political party be so tone-deaf to the plight of the everyday Americans suffering under inflation, crime, and societal rot?

How can a Republican-led House prioritize the borders of another country over our own border, even as American citizens are killed by illegal immigrants?

How can so-called fiscally responsible Republicans sign off on what is now $174 billion in direct Ukraine aid with a national debt of $34 trillion—more than $250,000 for every American household?

And how can House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had pledged repeatedly that no foreign-aid legislation would advance without first securing the border, so quickly be steamrolled by the Establishment?

In their desire to send billions of dollars to a conflict that our commander-in-chief has still, to this day, offered no plan for winning, the GOP’s leadership not only spurned their party’s own supporters but overlooked an opportunity to appeal to independent Americans frustrated by both political parties.

According to recent polling that The Heritage Foundation conducted with RMG Research, an overwhelming three out of four swing voters opposed sending any additional aid to Ukraine without also allocating funds for our own border. A majority (56%) of swing voters in key battleground states thought that the $113 billion the United States had already committed to Ukraine was too much.

The entire Heritage enterprise fought for over a year and a half on this issue. Heritage Action for America engaged our millions of grassroots members to voice their concerns to their representatives. Scholars at The Heritage Foundation presented a national security alternative package that included limited military aid to Ukraine but made border security the central focus. In an unprecedented move, we even issued a “key vote” on our legislative scorecard against Speaker Johnson’s convoluted rule, which was a gimmick that lowered the threshold to a simple majority (not a supermajority under suspension) and provided political cover for members to vote against individual pieces without jeopardizing the package.

Powerful interests were aligned against us, however, and we lost on the day. Though we lost this battle, all signs indicate that we are winning the war for the soul of the GOP. A majority of Republicans (112) voted against Ukraine aid on April 20. Younger and newer members are particularly fed up with leadership’s conciliatory approach and manipulative tactics that have led us to this point. The average age of the Senate Republicans who voted “nay” is 59, while the average age of those who voted “yea” is 66. The average “nay” vote has been in office since just 2016, while the average “yea” vote has been in Washington since 2010. The same dynamic was true with the recent $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill.

This generational shift can be ignored by the “uniparty,” but it’s not going away. Newer, younger representatives want a choice, not an echo; and increasingly, they’re adopting a populist form of conservatism that champions “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” above all else.

In other words, they want a GOP that puts America first, something a government in any healthy republic would do. They want a GOP that acknowledges the reality that America is a nation in decline but is not yet too late to save.

As Ronald Reagan said in his 1980 address accepting the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, “For those who have abandoned hope, we’ll restore hope and we’ll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again!”

And that brings us to the importance of this year’s election.

In 2016, despite staunch opposition from the GOP leadership, Donald Trump rejected the Washington consensus and initiated a generational realignment in American politics. If the conservative movement leans into the politics and policies President Donald Trump made successful, the American people will again have the opportunity this fall to accelerate a new consensus in Washington, D.C. This is why I remain optimistic about the future of our great nation.

The GOP establishment’s actions this past week portend the end of the GOP establishment, not its survival. Conservatives will win the soul of the GOP, and with it, the hearts of the American people.

At the time, those 57 lawmakers voting against the bill represented a cohort of Republicans who were already skeptical of the U.S. strategy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict and frustrated by the lack of debate in Congress and oversight of taxpayer money.

Today, that number has doubled. There are now more Republicans in the House opposed to additional Ukraine funding than those who support it.

Even so, the latest Ukraine funding bill—totaling $60 billion—was approved Saturday with a 311-112 vote with the unanimous support of Democrats. All 112 lawmakers voting against the bill were Republicans. By comparison, 101 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who voted against the $40 billion Ukraine bill in May 2022, was a notable exception. He championed the Ukraine measure Saturday as part of a four-bill foreign aid package that totals $95 billion.

“I’d rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” Johnson told Newsmax. “We don’t want to have boots on the ground, and we can prevent that by allowing them to hold Putin at bay.”

The Swamp is too drunk on power to realize that this scene has become the symbol of everything that’s wrong in DC.

They fund other countries, but don’t protect our border.

They wave foreign flags and wear them on their lapels, but don’t protect our border.

And some shroud… pic.twitter.com/9twwhVAEfD

— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) April 21, 2024

In addition to the Ukraine funding ($60.84 billion), lawmakers also approved separate bills for Israel ($26.38 billion); the Indo-Pacific ($8.12 billion); and the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, a bill that would impose more sanctions on China, Iran, and Russia. They also adopted a measure requiring TikTok’s parent company to sever ties with the Communist Chinese government or cease operations within the United States.

With the full package of bills expected to pass the Senate in the coming days, it will mark the fifth time Congress has approved funding to help Ukraine.

Saturday’s vote, however, was the first by a Republican-led House. The four previous measures were adopted in 2022 when Democrats led the chamber and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was calling the shots.

The previous four funding bills provided a total of approximately $113 billion to Ukraine, averaging about $900 per American household. The number could really be as high as $125 billion, according to information Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and other lawmakers obtained from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

Once the new $60 billion is added to the total, taxpayers will be on the hook for more foreign aid to Ukraine at a time when they are struggling to afford gas, groceries, and rent.

Republicans objecting to the latest Ukraine funding bill cited a variety of reasons for their opposition, although a dominant theme had to do with the failure to secure any meaningful changes to President Joe Biden’s handling of the U.S. border crisis and instead making foreign aid a higher priority.

But other questions remain about Ukraine and its notorious reputation for corruption.

Writing for The Hill last week, Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts noted that concerns conservatives began raising two years ago are now proving correct, including a failure to track military weapons supplied to Ukraine and embarrassing Pentagon accounting errors.

“Ukraine’s minister of defense was fired for questions around military graft. Billions in U.S. aid have flowed to economic aid rather than lethal weapons,” Roberts wrote. “More importantly, then as now, President Biden has presented no coherent strategy or plan for victory or peace in Ukraine to the American people, who are gradually losing patience with the bloody stalemate his administration has created.”

The $95 billion bill doesn’t have to pass.

It takes only 41 senators stop it.

There are 49 Republicans in the Senate—more than enough.

Where do your senators stand?

Please like and share if you agree that 41 Senate Republicans should unite to stop the $95 billion aid package. https://t.co/BVDCK45GB6

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 21, 2024

Two years ago, when the $40 billion foreign aid bill reached the Senate, 11 Republican senators voted against the Ukraine measure. This time, the foreign aid package will include money for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and other legislation included by the House, so determining if there will be a similar result to the House vote might be difficult to assess.

Still, the evolving outlook toward Ukraine reflects a changing mindset among conservatives about U.S. foreign policy. The implications of continuing to fund a foreign war, particularly in times of economic strain at home, will no doubt continue to animate conservatives and divide Republican lawmakers.

The current executives at companies involved in the entertainment business, such as Amazon, Comcast, Netflix, Apple, Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros., have collectively given $13.5 million to Democrats and just $4.2 million to Republicans, meaning 76% of donations went to Democrats, according to the 1792 Exchange, a transparency watchdog that tracks environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies in corporations. The donations coincide with major corporations adopting left-wing policies, including Disney, which has recognized that the company’s social activism has cost value for shareholders

Top leadership at Disney has collectively given $2.8 million to Democrats compared to just $908,840 to Republicans, according to the 1792 Exchange. Disney has been largely criticized for its choice to incorporate left-wing messaging into its products, which has led activist investor Nelson Peltz with investment firm Trian Partners to launch a campaign to have him and another member of the firm join the company’s board.

Did you know @Disney ’s board members have made over $2.8 million in personal donations to Democratic political candidates (more than 3x the amount to Republicans)?

— 1792 Exchange (@1792Exchange) April 2, 2024

Hollywood studios run by top entertainment companies have also given large donations to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the state doles out hundreds of millions in tax credits to the film industry. Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Disney, Sony and Comcast are set to receive $722,068,000 in tax credits from the California government from 2020 to 2025.

Conservatives have attempted to boycott various businesses for their support of Democrats and left-wing messaging, most notably Bud Light, which lost its spot as the top-selling beer in the U.S. in June to Modelo Especial after a promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Many of the companies that have been boycotted in the past, such as Target, have largely recovered from their initial losses as consumer concern over the policies died out, even though they did not always entirely retreat from their previous stances.

Amazon, Comcast, Netflix, Apple, Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].

As an American mother of a beautiful 10-month-old boy, I find myself reflecting deeply on the world I want to shape for him—a world that honors our nation’s core values and principles. In an election year, the spotlight on our nation’s foundational ideals reminds us of the profound opportunity we have to reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution’s promises: liberty, equality, and justice for all.

For us, American women—mothers, wives, and steadfast guardians of our families—this period is not just a cycle of political engagement but a call to action to ensure the future reflects the enduring principles we cherish.

The Pillar of Financial Independence

Amid the fervor of election year activities, we’re reminded of the critical importance of financial independence and security. As a mother, I understand the desire to provide the best for our children and to secure their futures. Diversifying our investment portfolio becomes not just a prudent strategy but a reflection of our values of foresight and self-reliance.

In these uncertain times, investing in gold and silver stand out as a hedge against inflation and economic volatility, embodying the stability we seek for our family’s financial future. These precious metals have historically held their value, offering a stabilizing force amidst the economic fluctuations.

Yet, it’s startling to note that only 26% of American women invest in the stock market outside of retirement accounts. This gap highlights a significant area for growth in financial literacy and empowerment. As women, particularly those of us guiding the next generation, embracing investment strategies not only enhances our economic resilience but also sets a powerful example of self-reliance and prudent planning for our children.

The Imperative of Preparedness

Our responsibilities extend beyond financial security to include preparedness for any disaster. The increasing impacts of geopolitical tensions and unforeseen challenges underscore the importance of having a comprehensive emergency plan.

As a mother, ensuring the safety and well-being of my child is paramount. This means not just having an emergency kit and a family communication plan but also advocating for policies that address these crises’ root causes. We seek a sustainable and peaceful world for our children, one where they can thrive without fear of the next disaster.

A Call to Action for American Republican Mothers

As American Republican women, mothers, and wives, we stand at the intersection of nurturing our families and advocating for a society that reflects our cherished ideals. Our engagement in the electoral process is a testament to our commitment to shaping a future that aligns with the principles of liberty, equality, and justice. It’s about ensuring that our children inherit a nation that remains true to its founding ideals—a nation where the promise of the Constitution is alive and well.

Let us, therefore, embrace our multifaceted roles with intention and vigor. Let’s contribute to a future that is prosperous, secure, and reflective of the ideals that define the American spirit. As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, we do so not just for ourselves but for our children. Together, let’s draw on the wisdom of the past and the promise of the Constitution to guide our path forward, ensuring that as American mothers, we raise our children the right way, instilling in them the values and principles that make our country great.

Trump is the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and recently won the first two primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Due to the large margin of his victory in those contests, as well as his significant lead in advanced polling in future contests ahead of his primary opponent, several members of the RNC are considering passing a resolution to declare him the presumptive nominee of the party, thereby enabling the party infrastructure to support his candidacy, according to The Dispatch.

“RESOLVED that the Republican National Committee hereby declares President Trump as our presumptive 2024 nominee for the office of President of the United States and from this moment forward moves into full general election mode welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024,” reads the resolution, a copy of which was obtained by The Dispatch.

The resolution is reportedly being proposed by David Bossie, an RNC Committeeman representing Maryland who recently endorsed Trump’s 2024 candidacy and served as his 2016 deputy campaign manager. The RNC will convene for its winter meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4, where the resolution may be discussed.

Trump’s primary opponent is former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, whose campaign dismissed the significance of the measure.

“Who cares what the RNC says? We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders,” said Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokesperson for Haley, in a statement reported by The Dispatch. “If Ronna McDaniel wants to be helpful she can organize a debate in South Carolina, unless she’s also worried that Trump can’t handle being on the stage for 90 minutes with Nikki Haley.”

Were Trump to be declared the presumptive nominee, he would benefit from several resources usually available for general elections, such as voter data, fundraising opportunities with the party and ground operations support to turn out voters, CNN reported. Haley, by contrast, would not gain access to these resources, unless she were to obtain the nomination.

The declaration does not obviate the requirement for Trump to obtain at least 1,215 pledged delegates across all 56 jurisdictions to win the nomination in a vote at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which will occur between Jul. 15 and Jul. 18. Trump currently has 32 pledged delegates from his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, while Haley has 18.

What do you think? Sound off on The Liberty Daily Substack.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].